Forest
by Spock99
Summary: Hagrid wanders through the forbidden forest and is led to a soul in need. What will happen when a Demiguise shows its gratitude?


**A/N**

**Written for QLFC season 7, Round 11, Chaser 1 of Falmouth Falcons**

**Prompts:**

**A character gains immense powers (super-hero!AU, god/demi-god!AU, some sort of spell/curse, anything goes)**

**(magical creature) Occamy**

**(magical creature) Demiguise**

**(color) burnt gold**

**Forest**

Those who wander the forbidden forest will encounter true magic. The narrow paths stomped into the soft forest ground will lead into the woods as far as a human dares to go. Every tree, every leaf, and every blade of grass is filled with ancient magic. The deeper one wanders into the forest, the more he will understand what kind of magic exists without spells and wands.

While most never experience the magical power of the forest, some are brave enough to wander along the narrow paths from time to time. Some are even bold enough to claim to know the woods, but those will never feel the forest work its magic. Over the centuries, few met the forest as the thing it really is. A magical, living and ever-changing powerful place full of wonder.

Those who accept the boundaries the forest built over the years to protect itself and the creatures living inside it will be allowed further into the woods. They will see what others are never trusted to lay eyes on. But not even they will see everything the place is capable of.

One who could be described as 'knowing' the forest's quirks is Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts. He never tried coming further than the forest would let him, not by repeatedly trying, and certainly not with force. Most of the creatures living near the outside borders of the forest know him—some even trust him.

How many different species are living in the forest that were never counted or written down? Every time Hagrid steps into the woods, he finds a small corner he has never seen before. The forest selects its trusted ones carefully and never allows them to advance further than necessary.

This very morning, Hagrid saw the usual paths close before his eyes as bushwork grew rapidly over them. A low whine from Fang alerted Hagrid of the trees blocking the path to their right as well. The huge hound was looking around frantically, feeling something wasn't right.

"What's that?" Hagrid murmured to himself. His right hand closed around Fang's collar in case something made him run. Hagrid looked around to find the source of the unusual events but didn't see one. Why was the path blocked? That was one of the three he had been using every day over the past decade. It was the main path leading to the unicorn territory. A sudden howl from Fang brought Hagrid back from his musings. The dog began twisting against Hagrid's grip on his collar like the devil was about to turn up. When Fang turned and snapped his teeth right in front of Hagrid's free hand, the half-giant let go of the leather.

"What, you touchy hound?" he grunted, staring at his companion. As usual, Fang didn't answer, just stared back at the man. A second later he turned around and ran off into the woods to their left, deeper into the foggy undergrowth. With a sigh, Hagrid stomped off after his loyal hound.

There had to be a reason the sleepy fellow was so awake at the moment. Leaving a path in the forbidden forest was seldom a great idea; Hagrid knew that. But right now, his usual path looked even less like a path than the alternative in front of him.

After he had fought his way through the first, few meters of small bushes and grass and thorns, the way suddenly began to clear. Now Hagrid grew concerned. That couldn't be a coincidence.

Worry appearing on Hagrid's face, he sped up his steps. On his way, the man didn't see any creatures; the centaurs didn't cross his path, no spiders or even a squirrel could be seen. In fact, it was empty around the gamekeeper. Empty and almost silent. The only sound around him was the cracking of small branches and dry leaves under his feet.  
Ten minutes of walking through the forest didn't reveal any reason for the new path. Confused, Hagrid stopped for a moment.

"Fang!" he hollered into the woods. No barking or whining came. No birds flew up from the sudden loud noise, nothing. Grunting in frustration, Hagrid stomped on for some more minutes. And then, right when he was about to call for his dog another time, he smelled it. There was a faint odor of smoke in the air. Alerted, Hagrid started running forward. The underwood in his way jumped to the side readily, but Hagrid didn't notice it anymore.

The further he came, the stronger the smell got, and it wasn't long before the half-giant could hear it. The crackling of a fire. But it wasn't the quiet, comfortable sound wood made in a fireplace. No, this was far bigger than a fireplace.

Running towards the sound, Hagrid found it. A front of high trees jumped out of his way to reveal a huge orange, red, and hot wall. The forest was burning. Burning to pieces before Hagrid's eyes.

Then his gaze fell on a dark form moving in the middle of the flames.  
"Fang, come here!" Panic rolled through Hagrid's veins at seeing his beloved hound in the inferno raging there. The dog didn't come, though. On a sudden, desperate impulse, Hagrid charged into the flames. He was about to reach his dog when he fell over something lying on the ground. The half-giant landed hard on the ground and with a pained grunt, he looked behind himself to find the reason for his fall. There on the ground cowered what not many wizards ever see.

The body of the creature was scrawny with long fur that was burned at the ends. It looked like a lanky monkey, except for the piercing black eyes staring in fear at Hagrid.  
Shaking himself out of his stupor, Hagrid got back to his feet and looked around wildly. He pulled out his pink umbrella and muttered an aguamenti. A wave splashed out of the tip that soaked everything around Hagrid, Fang and the creature on the ground. The fire was still raging around them, but the watered ground would give them some time.

Quickly, Hagrid checked on Fang, but the big hound seemed to be alright, perhaps a bit out of breath after running through the forest like that. Carefully to not frighten the creature, Hagrid knelt down beside it and stretched out one of his big hands.

"Hiya, little guy. What do you think, should we get out of here?" He gently brushed one knuckle over the fur. The creature growled deep in its throat but allowed the contact. Perhaps it felt Hagrid would never hurt a soul because it slowly rose from its crouching position, to reveal three blue-shimmering snakes looking out of a hole in the ground.  
No, they weren't snakes. There were tiny, purple wings on their serpentine bodies! Hagrid's heart began pumping faster. It couldn't be true. There was no way here in these woods lived an Occamy. The Demiguise had been protecting the Occamies with its own body.

Carefully, Hagrid reached out his hand to touch the little creatures, but then he held back. They were quite opposed to bodily contact.  
The warmth on his back reminded Hagrid of the danger they were still in. Without thinking about it, he grabbed the stick-like arm of the creature and lifted it up into his arms; next came the Occamies. Hagrid fished around his pockets for the beetles he had planned to bring the birds on the unicorn clearing as a treat. His fingers met the cool surface of a potion vial as he rummaged through his coat.

Of course! Quickly, Hagrid transferred the Demiguise to his shoulder and stuffed one of the dead beetles into the vial. Then he held the open glass vial to the hole in the ground. 

"Come on, you all get in there, right?" he said to the little Occamies hiding in the hole. Excruciating seconds ticked by in which Hagrid looked around to see the ground at his feet drying rapidly from his water-spell. The heat was almost unbearable now, but he couldn't leave them to die in the fire! Occamies were such pretty and rare creatures.  
And the forest had led him here as if it knew he would save them all. Hagrid managed to hold his hand steady near to the ground even though he wanted nothing more than to run for his hut outside this hell.  
Finally, slowly and carefully, the first Occamy slithered into the vial, followed by the other two. They attacked the beetle instantly, and Hagrid stoppered the vial as quickly as he could.  
"Let's go, Fang!" he called and started running away from the fire, the Demiguise safely on his back, Fang running beside him and the vial with the three Occamies in his hand.

* * *

The Demiguise was in bad shape. His usually silver-blueish fur was now the color of burnt gold. The tips of the soft hairs were smoldering. Hagrid caught his breath and placed the vial with the little Occamies on his table while he tried helping the Demiguise in his arms.

Water was first. But the little guy didn't want any. The Demiguise was weak from all the smoke and heat; its chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. And Hagrid was at a loss.  
He cleared the smoldering tips of the burnt golden fur to stop the destruction. Demiguise were able to turn invisible because of a special substance in their fur that allowed them to take on the color of their surroundings. From the looks of it, the invisibility was linked to the silvery color of their fur.

Hagrid knew this Demguise would never be able to turn invisible again. The substance was frail to heat, and the burnt golden color spoke volumes. The fire in the forest had destroyed the valuable matter completely.

When Hagrid frantically tried to help the small creature, the Demiguise suddenly stretched out one finger. Hagrid stilled as the digit came near his face. He distorted his eyes to follow the finger.

A moment later, the cool skin touched his forehead and Hagrid closed his eyes. His mind was flooded with pictures: _him kneeling next to the Demiguise, Fang stopping next to the creature and barking. Hagrid cradling a dead Demíguise to his chest. Hagrid opening the vial with the Occamies…_

The finger left his forehead, and Hagrid saw _Albus Dumbledore running into the forest. A herd of unicorns fleeing the fire…_

  
The half-giant opened his eyes to find himself back in his hut. The Demiguise lay on the table before him, the black eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling, the chest unmoving and the burnt golden fur turning into a nasty grey color.

A sob escaped the huge man and, following a sudden impulse, he scooped the Demiguise into his arms and pressed the dead body to his chest.  
While he was sobbing over the lost creature, Hagrid saw different scenarios in his mind. The door of his hut being wrenched open by a hard-breathing Dumbledore, the fire in his floo roaring with green flames, he himself opening the vial and letting the Occamies out. 

* * *

**Three years later…**

  
As he stood there in the middle of the destroyed castle, watching you-know-who talking, Hagrid held tight onto the limp body of Harry Potter. Singe the Death Eaters had stormed the castle, his mind was a mess. It went from showing the real future to projecting eventualities worse than death for students and staff alike.  
Hagrid's head hurt from all the little Visions appearing and changing every few minutes.

The worst of them all had been Harry being hit with the Avada Kedavra. Over and over it had played in front of the half-giant' mind as the boy stepped onto the clearing.  
Now Hagrid struggled to keep from sobbing as his mind showed him, Harry, fighting against the evil wizard over and over. The visions the Demiguise had gifted him with all those years ago, had mostly become true, but this one was simply too awesome to be true.

When you-know-who turned to his men, Hagrid suddenly felt Harry's Body moving ever so slightly in his grasp.


End file.
